


The Things we do for Love

by SolarisRasa



Series: Sol's Malec Whumptober 2020 [15]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - This World Inverted (Shadowhunters TV), Angst, Blackmail, Happy Ending, Infidelity, M/M, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27219214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarisRasa/pseuds/SolarisRasa
Summary: No 17. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMINGBlackmail | Dirty Secret | Wrongfully AccusedHe tells the man he loves, over and over, that they are as good as finished and Alec just nods, says he understands. They go to bed, fully dressed, sometimes in their work clothes. Alec doesn’t pack a bag, Magnus doesn’t change the locks.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Sol's Malec Whumptober 2020 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953454
Comments: 9
Kudos: 124
Collections: Favorite Malec Stories





	The Things we do for Love

**Author's Note:**

> See bottom note for trigger warning.

When Alec hired Silas, Magnus had made a joke about eye-candy at the office. Raj had thrown a peppermint at Magnus and told him not to scare the new guy off since business was  _ booming  _ and Raj couldn’t cover Alec’s date nights alone anymore.

Magnus had sucked the peppermint into his mouth, removed the wrapper with his tongue and winked at the impressed and disgusted look on Raj’s face. For his part Alec had bent Magnus over three separate pieces of furniture in the loft and declared him the only candy that held Alec’s interest.

-

Two weeks later Magnus watches the clock on his phone, sitting alone in a restaurant and feeling like a fool. The waitstaff comes by his table again, silently refilling his wine and placing his order in front of him. They’re closing in ten minutes but not one of them has told him he needs to go. Alec and him are regulars here and the staff can see that something has happened tonight.

Magnus is both grateful to them for their discretion and disappointed, he would love to get some of the bitter, drowning feeling off his chest.

He eats his meal in silence and is out five minutes after close, a stack of bills left on the table to make up for the hours he sat there. Alone. Waiting.

He beats Alec home by nearly an hour. 

When his fiancé  _ finally  _ walks in, Magnus has been sitting in silence for so long the sound of Alec’s quiet greeting is gratingly loud.

“If you do this to me, I won’t forgive you.” Magnus says.

Alec’s eyes are dark and though his face plays at confusion, Magnus has been lied to enough over the centuries to know that it’s the eyes that hold truth. Alec’s eyes know exactly what he means. The only thing that keeps Magnus from throwing him out is the well of pain he sees in them. He gets the feeling that there’s more to this than gorgeous assistants and Magnus finding that he is, ultimately, unlovable. Again.

-

Magnus waits. Two more date nights that Alec misses, offers no explanation for, two more weeks of them barely speaking, the only words between them, Magnus’ simple statements and Alec’s quiet acceptance. 

He tells the man he loves, over and over, that they are as good as finished and Alec just nods, says he understands. They go to bed, fully dressed, sometimes in their work clothes. Alec doesn’t pack a bag, Magnus doesn’t change the locks.

-

Magnus drops into the office that Alec rents without calling first. Raj see’s him and something complicated passes over him before he catches Magnus’ arm.

“It’s not what you think.”

Magnus pulls away, he’s centuries old, he’s not going to break because the  _ mortal  _ who taught him how to be himself again, his fiancé, the first person he’s loved in so long, is untrue.

“It’s exactly what I think.”

Raj steps back and Magnus nods at him, he knows that whatever is happening here is not Raj’s fault. The man can be grating, he’s a bastard in his own right at times, but he’s stood by Alec through a lot and he’s always made it clear that, that first part aside, he respects Magnus.

He opens the door to Alec’s office without ceremony.

Silas has Alec pressed into the back of his chair, lips a breadth from Alecs and for a moment Magnus feels the black despair he’s been trying to deny. He can say he expected it a hundred times over but  _ seeing  _ it is different, will always be different. 

The feeling never makes it to the forefront, because he  _ knows  _ Alec.

Alexander Lightwood was a force he never expected, crashing into his quiet, lonely life and breathing all the light back into it. Alec reminded Magnus what it felt like to be alive, to feel his magic and wear glitter and flaunt who he was without fear. Alec is the softest, kindest man he’s ever known and also the strongest, most loyal person. He’s funny and sassy and will hold a stranger as they cry on the train.

Alexander Lightwood is a man who revels in pleasure and who Magnus has seen in a myriad of positions, has loved and made love to. Magnus has seen photos of past relationships too, met a few previous boyfriends turned good friends, has laughed with Alec over stories of intimate mishaps.

Alec does not want Silas to be touching him. Nothing in the lines of Alec’s body says he’s interested in the man practically straddling his lap and Magnus’ stomach drops.

“Magnus.” Alec says.

Silas languidly moves away, his attractive hands brushing carefully messy blonde waves out of his face, a fake apologetic expression makes his mouth open in a little pink circle. 

Magnus imagines a cartoon baby.

“Alexander.”

“Mr. Bane. I’m so sorry, we didn’t expect you!” Silas says, his voice gratingly high pitched, “Oh, Alexander didn’t want you to find out like this!”

Magnus watches Alec flinch at the sound of his name from Silas’ mouth.

“No. I’d imagine not. Alexander, come with me.”

Silas makes a move to grab at Alec’s hand but Magnus is  _ done.  _ He strides across the room, the quiet fortuneteller fading. He was a High Warlock, he’s fought demons, he closed the last rift and he’ll be damned if he loses Alec now.

“Mr. Bane, please, don’t hurt-” Silas simpers, blue eyes wide in mock fear. He’s a snake and Magnus knows how to deal with those.

“I would never lay a hand on Alexander that he did not explicitly ask for. This has gone on too long. He’s coming with me to pack his things, then,” Magnus looks at Alec, hopes he can understand what Magnus is doing, “you can have him.”

They’re gone before Silas can speak again, Magnus snarling a, “Keep him here.” at Raj as they go.

-

Alexander looks hollow when they get far enough from his office. Magnus tugs him to sit on a bench and takes his cold hands, rubbing warmth into them.

“I’m sorry.” Alec breathes.

Magnus shakes his head, “What the hell is going on?”

“I’m cheating-”

“Don’t lie.”

Alec clenches his jaw and looks, really looks at Magnus. He see’s that Magnus knows something else is going on and he slumps.

“He’s got pictures. If it was just me, I wouldn’t care. He’s, I don’t know how he has them but he showed me to prove it, he’s got pictures of Izzy. Of you. Jace, even.” Alec looks as exhausted as Magnus feels.

“Nudes?”

“And worse.”

Magnus blinks, leans back with a frown and Alec rubs a hand over his face.

“He’s got you doing magic, which I don’t think most people would believe but it could put you in real danger. He’s got Jace with gold eyes too, but I think that could be ignored.”

Magnus pulls Alec close to him, “What does he want?”

“He wants me to sleep with him, he wants me to use my connections to get him better work and he wants me to do most of whatever work he gets.”

Magnus swallows, hating that he has to ask, “Have you slept with him?”

Alec squeezes his eyes closed and his shoulders hitch on a sob and Magnus’ heart shatters, but not for himself.

“ _ Alexander.”  _

-

It takes much longer than Magnus is happy with to put Silas away for what he’s done. It does happen eventually though. Silas tried to release some of the photos when Magnus had him arrested, but a little magic prevented him from doing so without deleting the evidence of his crimes.

Alec is…

Magnus sighs, looking at his fiance where he sits at their dining table, plans for a charity gala spread in front of him.

He’s doing better but he’s pushed back the wedding date twice now and Magnus knows it’s because he hasn’t forgiven himself yet, no matter what his therapist says. Magnus passes behind him, drops a kiss on his shoulder and smiles as Alec hums a little.

“This is going to be so over budget if they insist on the ice sculptures.”

Magnus chuckles, mixing honey into a bowl of yogurt, “So none of them for the wedding either?”

Alec glances at him and Magnus is glad to see he doesn’t look nervous, “You don’t even know what the budget is, you haven’t seen the  _ binder  _ yet.”

Magnus grins, “Darling, I have magic and more money than we’ll ever, ever spend. You don’t need a budget.”

“Every project needs a budget Magnus.”

“Let me pay for the wedding and I’ll summon you ice sculptures for the gala.”

Alec glares at him, “Fine.”

Magnus smirks, “Besides, Ice sculptures in the summer would be ridiculous for us.”

He’s testing the water, the date is in July now.

Alec hesitates and Magnus’ stomach clenches, “I was thinking...what about the fall?”

Magnus tries to hide his disappointment, they’re not moving forward at this rate, “The fall?”

Alec makes a note on his plans, looking away, “Yeah. I know it’s only a couple months away but I’m more than capable of planning-”

Magnus sets his bowl down, “ _ This  _ fall?”

That’s sooner than their original date. Alec blushes and bites his lip, “Too soon?”

Magnus pulls him up, kissing him gently, “To call you mine? No such thing.”

Alec laughs, “You’re ridiculous.”

“Mmmhmm.”

Magnus grabs a card from the top of his deck, magically changing it to the Lovers and shows it to Alec. He rolls his eyes, but lets Magnus lead him back to their room all the same. 

**Author's Note:**

> Silas blackmails Alec into having sex with him. It is mentioned only in passing.


End file.
